Antiquity Paily
by Mr Whiskers McMuffin
Summary: Summer 79 AD. Paige McCullers moves to Pompeii to live with her family and reconnects with her long lost friend, Alison DiLaurentis. (Rated M for future chapters - violence) A Paily fic, I don't wanna say too much in the summary.
1. Chapter 1

_Thank you so much emma . ray (without spaces, don't know why it disappears without them), best beta-reader of the world, for helping me A LOT with this.  
Unlike my first fic, I wrote this one in French first to offer a more varied vocabulary and help me with descriptions. Every review or comment will be very appreciated.  
_

* * *

 _To please our modern readers, the names have been changed. Alyssa Di Laurentus became Alison DiLaurentis, Pagina Macullerus became Paige McCullers.  
_ _I tried to be as close to reality as possible about this period (spices known at the time, prices, housing…) but I have romanced some details._

* * *

Ugh. I really didn't want to go. I'm 17 and this is the first century, it's time my parents let me make my own decisions. But I don't have a choice anymore.  
I opened my carriage's curtain and breathed the fresh and salty air of the coast. In a few moments I'll be in Pompeii, discovering the house my parents had bought since they decided that the Roman lifestyle was too exciting for my papa's health.  
We passed some slaves that were working the fields in the heat of this summer of 79, harvesting crops, sweating and moving, following the rhythm of lashes. Some of them looked at my carriage, curious about the McCullers armorial bearings that they recognised from afar but were quickly reprimanded. The only thing I was excited about was seeing my old friend Alison. We grew up together, raised by the same slaves, but my parents moved to Rome when I was ten for my papa's business. I remembered her as being kind, a bit impudent sometimes, always used to getting what she wanted. But she had a way of making you feel like you were the queen of Gods. Yes, you felt like Juno when she graced you with all her attention. She claimed to be a descendant of Venus herself and you know what, I sometimes believed it.

I finally arrived at the house. It was a beautiful villa, on the outskirts of the city, with a magnificent atrium, blessed by Pheobus on this glorious day.  
The sun reflected the sky in the impluvium, and for a few minutes I had totally forgotten that I didn't want to be here. My mama greeted me with warmth after those few months when we were separated and she told me that my papa was in town to discuss business with the prefect. I hid my disappointment. Papa was a cold man, often absent, and I had hoped that our relocation to Pompeii would have changed him.  
Ezra, our Briton slave, started to unpack my things from the carriage right away. He had been my confidante for years now, and as the true philosophy enthusiast he was, he had initiated me in the work of Plaute and Aristotle. It was pure joy for me to see him again. He headed towards my quarters but I didn't even have the time to meet him there before I heard a familiar voice behind me.

Alison had come to greet me, accompanied by three young women, all dressed in the latest fashion, and by Lorenzo, her Moorish slave. She ran towards me and hugged me tight with many frills and noises. I returned the hug, a bit confused, and took a step back to look at her. She had become a magnificent young woman: blonde as wheat, alabaster skin and a slightly plump waist, proof of her feisty diet (and of her family's wealth). She looked like a statue, like the ones you see in the most beautiful palaces of Rome. If a sculptor needed a model of perfection to represent Venus, he would have found it in the person of Alison DiLaurentis.  
The three young women stood a few feet from us, and I could see in their eyes something that looked like apprehension. They were busy with their outfits, straightening their stolas, the long and colourful dresses that were tailored just for them, trying to arrange their hair but I didn't pay more attention to it. Alison was standing right there next to me and we had a lot to talk about.  
She was strolling through my new home like she owned it, and ordered Ezra to bring her wine. I suggested the girls entertain themselves around the impluvium while I spent some one-on-one time with my friend but their gaze was only turned towards Alison. She nodded slightly and then turned heel, cursing Ezra to lead the way to my bedroom.

How she had changed. Or was I the one romanticising the sublime girl who was once my closest friend? Had she always been this direct and supercilious? Or was it simply because she was thrilled to see me again and wanted to give a good impression?  
I followed her into my room, a room I hadn't been able to visit before her. It was wonderful, adorned with beautiful vases and fabrics from all over the world. The walls were light blue, emphasising the magnificent fresco representing Diana the Huntress.  
The bed was huge and seeing the way Alison was basking there, it seemed very comfortable. She tilted her head a little, inviting me with this sign to lay next to her, and I ran without begrudging. I was tired by the long journey and the excitement caused by our reunion was beginning to fade away. I laid weakly by her side and she fussed almost right away to undo my plaits and run her fingers through my hair. I recoiled a little at first. Nobody except our old slave Ella had lavished on me such a care since I had left for Rome.  
I started to relax. It felt really good to be groomed like that after a long journey, and her expert hands were really good at their job. I had so many questions to ask her, questions like who were the three girls she came with, did she have a fiancé... but I didn't want to break that very welcomed silence. I was really happy that she wanted to reconnect with me right away. I had left all my friends in Rome, I was eager to start over in Pompeii and not succumb to melancholia. I was grateful for the sudden attention which was free of manipulation (unlike my papa who was only nice when he wanted me to do something I abhorred).

I closed my eyes and Alison whispered into my ear.

"Do you remember? I spent hours combing your hair when we were little. You adored it."

"Hmmm" I answered softly. "I have to admit that it was so long ago, I totally forgot."

Alison made a sulky face, quickly erased by a malicious smile.

"You're in Pompeii now, if you bear a sophisticated look you are going to frighten the plebs."

I answered with a smile. I did not know what to think. I was not used to receiving so much attention from someone other than one of our slaves, other than somebody that my family owned, and a little voice in my head started to ask if she wasn't simply jealous. Jealous that I spent so much time in the glorious city of Rome, bathed in arts, philosophy, mathematics, being introduced to very important people. No. Impossible. Not Alison, member of one of the oldest and most respected families in Pompeii.  
She kept on working on my hair, undoing braids, redoing others, softly pinning locks here and there. She moved back on the bed a little to admire her efforts and gazed at me, satisfied. I got up to admire her handiwork in the enormous mirror that rested in the corner of the room and was enthralled by my own reflection. Alison had lost nothing of her power. I felt beautiful, fulfilled. She approached slowly behind me, looking at her own reflection beside my shoulder and whispered: "So…do you like my work?"

"You have nimble fingers Alison."

"I know," she said jokingly. "Come on, your mother asked me to do her a favor and I'd be thrilled to do it as quickly as possible."

I gave her an inquisitive look but I did not have the time to find out more. She had already taken off.

I arrived in the atrium a few seconds after her and everyone's glance settled upon me, appraising my appearance. Alison cleared her throat, inviting me to attribute to her the merits of this sudden attention.

"Alison is very gifted," I said with a smile.

Her three friends (most likely her followers) agreed at once, congratulating Alison for her "divine gift which had to be inspired by a muse".  
My mother was looking at me, smiling with all of her teeth, happy to see that Alison and I were still getting along really well. Her family was very powerful and it was of the utmost importance for my papa's business that the DiLaurentis and the McCullers lived in harmony.  
I took a step closer to my mama to ask her what task she entrusted Alison with.

"Well Ella isn't getting younger and I thought that we could send her to our property in Capua so that she could enjoy her last years."

My heart squeezed into my chest hearing those words. Of course, I knew my privileged relationship with her couldn't last, Ella was "just" a slave but I was really attached to her. I shared the vision of Plaute on slaves - "The Roman slave is considered a member of the family." Ella was more than a slave, she was a nursemaid, a friend. Always by my side to heal my little sorrows, always a kind word when my papa was mean.  
I noticed that my mother was staring at me.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was telling you that Alison was going to take you to the slaves' market so that you can find yourself a new woman of company. Your papa and I agreed, you will soon be old enough to get married, you can thus buy your own slave.

"Oh. Thanks."

Alison interrupted us. "You'll see Paige, it's going to be amazing, you're going to be able to find yourself a magnificent Iberian stallion, or a small blond from Gallia…"

"Alison, I said a WOMAN of company," laughed my mother.

"Okay okay…" sulked the blonde.

I didn't have a say in the matter. Everything had been decided while I was gone.

"I need a minute," I said while walking fast towards my chamber.

"Oh no Paige," argued Alison, catching my arm. "Boats will arrive soon, we HAVE to be there in a few minutes to have the prime choice!"

"All right, all right, let's go," I declared, swallowing my tears.

Alison led the way, still holding my arm firmly, followed by her three friends as well as Ezra and Lorenzo.  
We walked for a while, Alison definitely certain of her direction, chatting with her friends, bragging about the latest fashionable tragedy she went to see the other day.  
We arrived by the docks which gave off a crazy effervescence. Nothing like the organised bustle of Rome: everybody was shouting, messing around. People were touching, smelling, tasting. Fishy smells were entangled with the scents of unknown spices, the sound of a cithara was hushed by the screams of a carpet vendor who was promising "the best rugs, directly from Persia".  
We had arrived in a small and sordid street, Alison still leading the way with a determined step, heading to the storefront of a dessert shop. She had let go of my arm, and it's then that I saw her.

It seemed to me that I had spent my life in the most tawdry shadows until my eyes settled on the most luminescent being there was. All my doubts, all my fears, all my bothers disappeared as fast as she crossed the fine linen that separated the shop from the street.  
From her honey-colored skin irradiated a soft light, as if her aura was too big to simply be contained in her body. Her hair was falling softly on her muscular body, allowing the glimpse of a blow on her face. Her lower lip was slightly split, proof of bad treatment that was probably caused by a previous master.  
The man was squalling, announcing the pedigree of this heavenly creature in an imprecise Latin. And it was at this moment that Alison turned around and set her eyes on me. Mesmerised by the goddess that appeared before my eyes, I hadn't realised that I had stopped walking. I was just standing there, in the middle of the street. Alison looked at me, looked at the young woman, then put her eyes on me again with half a smile. A cold smile. Petty. Cruel. She went to the seller and showed her interest towards the young slave. I didn't have the time to stop her. I couldn't move, as if I had crossed eyes with the gorgon Medusa.  
The man invited Alison to touch her. He quickly saw that she was rich, adorned as she was with her fine jewellery. She opened the mouth of the girl, looked at her teeth, lifted her hair. She put her hand on one of her breasts and looked at me, smirking. The goddess lowered her head, only to be reprimanded by her seller.  
Alison argued with the man, feeling with her finger the wound of the young slave, who shivered with pain under her touch. She brought out her purse - **her** purse - and paid the 900 sesterces he was asking for.

The time of a loss of breath. That's the time it took her to seal the deal.

Alison barked some orders to Lorenzo, who seized the chains that were hindering the arms of the young woman.  
Alison got closer to me, giving me a cruel look, and stopped near my ear to whisper these few words: "I own you now."

Then she left, chuckling, in the direction of the DiLaurentis villa, her three "friends" following her closely. I stood there in the middle of the street, frozen in the moment, astounded by what had happened. I felt Ezra come closer behind me, as to give me the tacit courage to move again.

She was hers, and I was now a slave myself.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much to emma . ray, best beta reader of the world, and thanks to every one of you for your kind words and your reviews, it means a lot to me._

I am going to die here. I am tormented by hunger and I've been in this wet hold for weeks. All I've had to eat in two days was just a little bit of a squalid porridge diluted in water. My whole body is numbed due to sitting or squatting for so long. Two other girls about my age are in my cage, but despite all our efforts to communicate, we don't understand each other. They speak a strange language of which I cannot find the origin, although I am fluent in several.

The boat was effervescent - we were hearing the men walking fast above us, probably getting ready for our arrival in Pompeii. A young sailor had told me in confidence that such was our destination, and the more we heard the men fussing, the more a knot was forming in my stomach. _My heart was at the edge of my lips,_ my breath was quickening, my mouth was dry, my hands clammy.

I ran my tongue on my lips, trying vainly to moisten them, and the taste of blood which loaded my papillae caused me to spasm in disgust. My lower lip was split because of a sailor whom I had refused myself to. The captain had arrived just in time, saving me from a second punch. "We do not damage the goods," he shouted.

We heard a voice shouting - "Pompeii, Pompeii" - and two well-built galley slaves arrived to open our cage. The other girls squeezed up to one another and one of the men ordered me curtly to stretch my arms in his direction. I executed without jibbing, afraid of receiving a new blow. He closed two chains around my wrists, bound to two others which he hindered my ankles with. He pulled me outside the cage and I was finally able to stand. I staggered, trying to catch a barrel nearby in order not to fall but missed it and collapsed heavily. The men laughed, looking at me amusedly. They chained the other young women, then ordered us to go to the deck.

How nice it was to finally feel the sun on my skin. The wind was slightly playing with my messy hair, and despite the fishes' stenches that were poisoning the air, it was a very welcome relief to finally be able to move. Reality struck me again when one of the sailors pushed me violently on the side. My chains did not allow me to part my legs enough to regain my balance and I fell again. The quartermaster appeared, telling the men to "fuck off and stop messing with the merchandise", catching me violently by the shoulders and straightening me sharply.

The boat was a small ship, designed mostly to bring back merchandise like wine or spices from the end of the world. We were just a bonus, a gift from the captain to his employer. We were finally at the berth, and the hustle reigning in the port reminded me of my dear city of Panyu, one of the most mixed of the Han empire.

We reached dry land, slightly staggering because of the immobility of the ground. One of the men seized our chains and pulled them firmly for us to follow him quickly. We were hauled along, following the captain who went straight to a small and greasy man. He wore his hair carefully oiled, dressed in a light blue toga and was adorned by so many signs of outside wealth that I wondered if his appearance wasn't a simple façade for dirty vices he was trying to hide.

I was trembling in a combination of weakness and fear, hastened by all the ambient noises and by people rushing at the merchandise to obtain the better price.

It wasn't the first time that I was passed around but as always, I knew what and who I was leaving, not what was lying ahead for me. Was I going to be a mere transaction or will this repugnant man keep me for himself? I felt his piercing glance all over me, his eyes never leaving me, and even with my head down I knew he was smiling.

"I'm takin' that one, she is perfect. Do what you want with the others, as a thanks for your good and loyal service. Marius, take care of her, we goin'."

A young slave seized my chains and, still dulled by everything that was surrounding me, I did not stumble. From the moment I was taken away from my family three years ago, it had been clear that the slightest resistance from me ended with lashes from the whip or punches. Or worse. These years of slavery and ill-treatment as well as these months of travel had completely transformed me, I wasn't the wild young woman who made my father laugh and my mother wince anymore. I was just an empty shell. Emily had been wiped out of existence.

I heard the young women scream as they were taken by force in a despicable back alley while the small greasy man led the way towards a lively street. We were followed by a slew of slaves, rolling barrels and carrying bags filled with marvels from my home country. We walked for a few moments before arriving in front of a shop situated in a small dirty street. Two young women opened the door and judging by their clothes and the numerous bruises on their arms, they were slaves as well.

"Go prepare a bath and wash that, shop opens in a few moments and she has to be perfect."

Marius removed my chains and went to heat some water while the two young slaves took me to the back shop. My throat was so tied that no sound could have crossed my lips. I did not protest when they undressed me completely. I did not raise an eyebrow when they drove me into the boiling water.

"Move your lazy asses you whores, we open in 10 minutes."

The women started to rub me from head to toe using sponges and perfumed soaps, removing the grime and revealing marks and bruises I wasn't aware of bearing. One of them made me sit in the hot water and washed my hair delicately. I felt tears forming behind my eyes but the oldest looked at me with so much fear that I swallowed them as soon as I saw her. A slave who cries is good for nothing.

They dried me hastily, anointing me with perfumed oils to be fairly presented and to appear healthier than I really was, and dressed me in a simple tunic that left my breast exposed. The merchant stuck his head into the back shop, sporting a satisfied look.

"Where are you from?" he asked me.

"From the East, the Han Empire, near- "

"Yeah yeah shut up, that will do."

I lowered my eyes, completely lost, frightened. Everything had gone so fast. My former domini were brutal and abusive men, but I had always managed to make it out alive. Although I would have preferred to die sometimes. What fate did Pompeii have for me? What master was I going to find? What would my task be?

Escaping had nearly been possible. But not anymore. I had already tried to cross a frontier to a country of free men during my journey but the men who took me had found me, and they were really unhappy with the time they wasted on capturing me again. And they let me know how much. What omen did I offend to deserve such a fate?

He preceded me outside and began to gibber my so-saying pedigree in an imprecise Latin before I was even able to cross the fine linen that separated the shop from the street.

And it's then that I saw her.

A young Roman woman, probably of noble ancestry, was coming down the street with several girls and two slaves.

I couldn't define what I felt when my eyes rested upon her.

Maybe it was the simple assertion that there was something still living inside me, an organ that hadn't already given up, a wounded animal which reacted to her sight in a desperate attempt to catch its breath again, a certain relief that stated I had not died.

My heart was racing. I needed to calm down, to regain a derisory control over my body so that the master didn't notice anything. A mystic moment, so fleeting. I thanked the gods that she hadn't looked at me in the eyes at this moment, this fraction of a second I had needed to recover, to tell myself that it was real and that something had just happened. This moment was the "i" of inaccessible, intangible, immaterial, that became instant, irony and insatiable.

Her hazel hair was arranged in the most delicate fashion and from her face radiated a soft light, as if every person or thing that would be lucky enough to bear her gaze would be blessed by the most benevolent goddess. Her delicate traits seemed slightly upset, but seeing her advancing in my direction I lowered my head and moved by the master's side. A second. A simple second.

The merchant gave me a pat under the chin. "Look in front of you. Stand up straight."

A young and haughty blonde woman approached us. She seemed to be accompanying the goddess that had appeared a few feet away but I could see in the corner of my eye that she wasn't coming closer. She seemed frozen in the middle of the street. Maybe she was one of the rare Romans that did not own slaves?

I focused on the blonde. There was something depraved in her gaze that was blood-curdling. She seemed to have noticed that I was staring at her and she came closer to the tradesman. He put himself in a worshipping position at once, as if the young woman was a descendant of the very Venus herself. He made a lot of low bows and his tone became honeyed.

"Look domina, a magnificent slave, just arrived from the Empire Han. A princess of cinnamon skin, raised by the greatest families. She speaks Latin and can be of use as much in the house as in the bedchamber. The perfect gift for-

"Open your mouth," she told me curtly.

I obeyed right away. I absolutely had to make a good impression to not receive a blow, and the faster I left this small, fat, vicious man, the better I was. Well… that is what I was thinking at that time anyway.

She looked at my teeth attentively but I felt that something was strange. She was looking but wasn't seeing. She examined my hair but her eyes were not turned at me. She was looking in the direction of the young divinity. The blonde placed one of her hands on my breast and turned around, laughingly. I was completely lost. I couldn't believe that a creature such as the hazel-haired goddess that had appeared to me could tacitly agree with a person that disrespectful.

Not that this behaviour was shocking to me, it was usual during slaves' purchases, it was necessary to feel the goods. To test the obedience of a slave. But the laughter that emanated from the blonde was anything but an amused laughter. I lowered my head, only to be reprimanded by the man. She pressed her finger on my lip wound and it made me shiver with pain. She began to argue with the man and I knew. She was going to buy me. Acquire me. I was going to become her property. I did not dare to hope that she was buying me for her shy friend who still hadn't moved.

I was wholeheartedly hoping this rich Roman simply needed a chambermaid. Or a house slave. Although cold and directive, having a domina instead of an abusive and violent man as dominus could only be positive. She drew her purse out. That was it. She paid the 900 sesterces that she had managed to obtain for me. I had been sold for more but as she had so skilfully pointed out, I was damaged. Second hand.

"Lorenzo, deal with her."

A Moorish slave hindered my arms and walked a few steps in the direction of the hazel-haired goddess. I had not paid great attention to the three girls that were accompanying the blonde but they were clearly gauging me, stunned.

We stopped as the blonde girl was leading the way, slowing near the brunette and whispering her some words. My goddess was petrified. Gobsmacked.

Lorenzo pulled me in order to move forward and I skimmed the shoulder of the young woman when passing by. Our gazes crossed the time of a heartbeat and now it was a certainty. The Fates had weaved my destiny so I could find myself here, right at this moment. So that my eyes could settle upon her. So many things within her own, so much pain that was reverberating in mine to have to tear away from her sight.

I wasn't hers, and my heart was also a slave itself.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you so much emma . Ray, best beta-reader of the world. She has suffered through numerous cases of "this is shit" and "I don't feel this one" so gratitude._

 _I apologise for all the liberties I took with historical accuracies in this chapter. I fictionalised A LOT for it to work quickly and develop the plot faster. Please don't rant saying that it's really unrealistic : I KNOW._

 _I started this chapter to have fun and erm it was the hardest to write since I started (I know, only 2 chapters ago but still)_

 _Finally… Please don't hate me._

Dominus : master  
Ludus : gladiator school  
Primus : Main fight, usually one on one.

* * *

"I wanna see sweat, tears, bruises, blood! " screamed the man.

I grabbed my wooden swords and put myself "en garde". The myrmidon who was facing me didn't stand a chance - I advanced swiftly, taking advantage of the fact that she was powerfully built, as the creatures of the North are sometimes, and I slid easily between her clumsy legs. With the hit of an elbow on her back, I threw her off and brought her down with a smack of one of my swords that swept her calves. I brandished a sword on her throat.

"Beg for mercy!"

My companions of misfortune applauded and formed a circle around me. The dominus was observing from his seat and seemed satisfied with my fast performance. Nevertheless, the slave master gave me a dressing-down.

"Gottesman! In the arena you have to make the show last, people have to bet, shout, root for you, you just make it seem so easy!"

Gottesman. It was hard getting used to being called by that name. I had changed it when I arrived here, the name of McCullers being too recognisable. I lowered my head, trying to hide my half-smile and stretched my arm towards the Northerner who grabbed it and brought me down on the floor next to her. We laughed for a brief moment until the master slave cracked his whip.

"In your sheds you soft testicles! You have to be ready for the games of Saturnalia tomorrow! Gottesman, dominus wants a word with you."

Four years had passed since I first arrived in this ludus, training relentlessly, winning fight after fight in the arena to move closer to my goal. It was the only way for me to reach her, to be in her presence, to get past the militia hired by Alison since my failed assassination attempt a few years ago. I had managed to flee and to build myself a life here in Mediolanum Santonum in Gaul. My voluntary servitude in this mixed ludus was survivable only by the simple thought of my goddess. I knew she was still alive, receiving unfortunately seldom coded letters from Ezra. It was my only opportunity.

Saturnalia was beginning tomorrow and I knew that she would be present during the primus. From what Ezra had told me, she never left Alison's side. I needed to participate in this fight, the DiLaurentises -and especially Alison - were the distinguished guests of this female fight that was putting two of the most renowned ludus in competition with each other. Her family had mainly paid for the construction of the city's arena and their presence was expected in the city as if the emperor himself was coming. I moved forward in the atrium's direction where dominus was waiting for me.

"Sit. Samara, pour some wine to our star gladiator."

"Thank you dominus," I answered.

"Well well Paige, I see that your training is paying off. It is time for you to finally fight during the primus and cover my ludus with glory during Saturnalia. The Tigress of Mantua, again and again undefeated…"

I had gained this nickname after my 7th victory in the arena, but never had I received the honour of fighting during the primus. I had naturally lied about my origin, not wanting my parents to find me or worse, giving Alison an opportunity to organise her revenge, but my reputation was beginning to cause me some trouble regarding the conservation of my anonymity. Numerous people were coming from afar to see me fight and I was afraid of being unmasked before being able to save my goddess.

"Thank you dominus, I shall bring honour to the house of Germanicus."

"Go get some rest. I shall send Castus to keep you company a little later."

"Gratitude dominus but I- "

"Or maybe would you prefer that Samara joins your bunk tonight?"

I had already been rewarded repeatedly by the honours of dominus but I had always declined with the most deference to not insult the man. My noble appearance had allowed me to be taught how to fight right away, contrary to other young women who had had less chance, thus I had never had to lay with anybody. The women gladiators were a rarity - we were less strong than the men and we met our end faster. It was doubtless for that reason dominus had kept me for Saturnalia. My speed and my endurance made me an asset, and it was not certain that I would have emerged unscathed from a previous primus against multiple opponents. And even fights against men if the opposing ludus had bribed the games' masters.

"I-… erm…"

"Samara, accompany Paige to her cell and tend to all of her desires."

"Yes dominus."

Samara led the way. She had arrived to the ludus only a few months ago. She had been a slave all of her life and was given to dominus to pay off a gambling debt that a patrician owed him. She was delicate and had many skills - she had taken care of a lot of my wounds which had barely left a mark on my skin. She was one of those people who look at you and do not need words. Her heavy past could be guessed by looking into her big blue and sad eyes. Her long fair braided hair indicated that she came from a tribe in the North.

We arrived at my cell, a simple room containing only a bed and a small table. A bath had been prepared and the steam that was coming out of it was delicately warming the air. Samara closed the door and approached me slowly from behind. She carefully untied my shoulder straps, and it gently made my plastron slide as well as the top of my tunic. I shivered under her delicate fingers and pulled away from her in the direction of the bath.

"You can leave," I said, my back turned in her direction. "You don't have to stay."

"I know. But it is not because dominus ordered it. I want to stay."

I turned around to look at her and saw that she had lowered her eyes, almost in a shy way.

"Samara," I said slowly. "Gratitude for your care and your support but I-…my heart already belongs to somebody and I cannot…I don't want…to share my body with anybody.

She raised her blue glance towards me and looked at me with infinite sweetness, as if she had just understood why I was there at this moment and why I had always refused all the favours given to me by dominus. I felt like Penelope waiting for Odysseus and staying faithful despite all temptation and pushing from others.

"Do you not wish comfort tonight?" she asked.

I did not answer, settling with a shake of the head. The thought of my goddess was never leaving me. She was present, perennial. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her, a few inches away from me. I felt her skin touching mine when she passed by me. My heart was carried away only to die out a few seconds later, the painful seconds that my head needed to return to the cruel reality. Samara sat down in a corner of the room, her eyes looking at the ground. Understanding, she had let me finish undressing on my own, but I saw in her outlook that she was a little confused. Maybe my attitude had made her previously believe something else, maybe she was sad for me. I climbed in the hot water, eager to remove the sweat and the blood that covered me from head to toes.

"What is her name?"

I did not know how to answer. Not because I was ashamed of this Sapphic love, but because I ignored the name of my goddess.

"I do not know of her name," I said in a desperate sigh. "I only saw her once before she was torn away from my sight."

"Is it for her that you are a gladiator?"

"Yes. It was the only solution so that I can pull her away from the claws of a harpy and for us to finally be together."

Only silence followed my confession. I thanked her mentally for not having asked more questions, although her investigation revived again the so short-lived but nevertheless ardent souvenir of our "meeting". I got up and Samara approached with a towel. She remained silent, lost in her thoughts.

"Did I hurt you?" I asked her, worried.

"You did not, don't worry."

I choose not to ask to her for more. The orders of dominus were clear and I did not want her to feel obligated to answer me.

We stayed silent for a few moments while I dried myself.

"Are you afraid for the primus tomorrow? Well I mean…the Tigress of Mantua is never afraid of anything," she said, half worried. Half teasing.

"I would be lying if I told you that I do not feel at least a small apprehension. But I have to win this fight at all costs."

"I shall pray for you Paige."

She did not ask for more. The fabric rolled up around my waist, hair falling on my breast, I headed to my bed as an invitation for her to leave me alone. I needed to be on my own, to concentrate for tomorrow. To pray so that my goddess would be present and alive. I stopped half-way, seeing Samara approaching me. She took my hand, put a chaste kiss on my cheek and left my cell. I lay down, eyes wide open, and rehearsed my plan for tomorrow. Win the primus. Keep my helmet at all costs. It shouldn't be difficult as it is my trademark. Receive the price from Alison's hands in the evening. Entice her to a room. Cut her throat swiftly. It was my only chance to bring an end to everything, to pass her security detail, to find myself in her presence with a restricted guard. To be able to kill them all. Then find my goddess. Run away with her.

I fell asleep on these thoughts, sending a small prayer to Venus for her to take pity on me.

* * *

"TIGRESS, TIGRESS!"

The crowd was chanting my name but I wasn't hearing anything. I was in the underground passage, head pushed in my helmet, eyes focused on the gallery which was standing opposite of me. The name of the gladiator I was going to face in single combat had been revealed to me a few minutes ago. Shana. Gaul's most renowned Moor - and of all the Roman Empire. Bets were on me losing 10 against 1 but I was inhabited by a fire that the betters could not suspect. My goddess was there, I knew it. I entered the arena under the roarings of the plebs and walked towards the gallery. The delirious crowd started to scream Shana's name who joined me. We moved forward and I saw her.

She was standing behind Alison and her parents, the benefactors of these games. She was as beautiful as the first time I saw her. Her hair was sophistically pushed up in a bun, her dress was beautifully revealing but maybe too much as some bruises were noticeable. I felt my blood boiling. I had to save her, whether she wanted me or not wasn't even the question, I had to save her from the cruel hands of Alison.

Shana and I took the Roman gladiator's oath and went our way, each on one side of the arena. I took out each of my swords from their sheaths while Shana equipped himself with her trident and net. Great. A Retiarius. I loathed this kind of fight. Retiarius were generally heavy women whom my speed as well as my fitness allowed me to by-pass easily, but the sharpness of Shana was going to make all of this impossible. She moved quickly, starting to turn around me. I turned my swords slowly, playing with my wrists, offering her access to my left side. Come on Shana, take the bait…

She launched a lightning attack, opening my left thigh, while I slid on the side and struck her a blow from the backhand of my sword on the spine. She moaned in pain while I by-passed her to avoid her net. I had to be extremely watchful - although the trident was a heavy weapon to use and therefore was slow, its amplitude could easily put me in trouble. I threw a quick look to the stand. My goddess was still there and she was looking at me with attention. She was alive, present, so accessible. Shana took advantage of my lack of concentration to grab her net back and try to imprison me with it. I cut the object quickly and advanced, head lowered, towards her. Enough playing Moor. I feinted towards the left, taking support on my wounded leg - which made me grimace - and all at once lively, taking Shana aback, I pushed her trident with my right sword and landed the left in her breast.

The delirious crowd shouted "TIGRESS TIGRESS" but I paid no attention to it. I advanced to the stand with a firm step, waiting to receive the laurels, to affirm my victory, to be sure everything was according to plan, when Alison got up and outstretched her arms to silence the public.

"The DiLaurentis family honours the city of Mediolanum Santonum with these exceptional games. This year, the gladiator who won the primus has the honour to fight a creature coming from Mauritania. A felines' fight - the tigress of Mantua against a lion!"

I could hear my heart freezing into my chest. Everything around me had stopped. I couldn't hear the crowd, I couldn't feel the warm sand between my toes, I couldn't focus on saving her anymore. I knew it was a common thing in certain arenas but nothing had prepared me for this "surprise". I had no idea how to beat these animals. The railing raised and a majestic creature entered. Gleaming hair, a lively expression, looking irritated, probably from the hunger it had to undergo to have appetite for me and be angry enough to attack. The lion saw me, probably smelling the blood which was running from my leg. It rounded his back, putting itself in an attack position. It was here, in this moment, the eyes of my goddess turned towards me, and nothing mattered anymore. I could just die here without having any regrets, for I had tried my very best to save her. Or I could kill the beast and free her from another one. May Mercury grant me the speed and agility to be victorious. I took a run-up and ran in its direction. It was it or me anyway, so better end it as fast as possible. A skid and I could tear his neck up easily. I had only got so far when my left leg gave way under my weight and I found myself on the ground. The lion threw itself on me, tearing my shoulders up with its claws and lowered its head a few inches away from my face. Its mane changed into long fair hair, its snout became refined, its features became human. And it is Alison whom I found above me. "I own you now," she whispered.

"Paige, Paige, wake up in the name of Jupiter! "

"NO, NO, NOOOOOO!"

Ella was above me, shaking me to wake me.

"Paige, you are having a nightmare, wake up!"

"I...what…"

I was all sweaty. It took me a few moments to recognise where I was. My room in Pompeii, my bed. Ella. I started to cry.

"Paige, what is it? "

The soft voice of our oldest slave and of the closest thing I had to a mother figure invited me to confide in her. I knew that all I shall tell her would stay between us so I told her everything. She listened to me carefully, asking me questions here and there, and I saw the despair growing on her face while I told her of my divine vision. I narrated her my dream, how far the gods had inspired me to help the one who had stolen my soul.

She looked at me tenderly and said: "You have to fight for what you believe in. You have to fight for her."


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you so much for the nice reviews on the previous chapter! I know it was a special one so I decided to update early (thanks to my Muse who worked overtime) so that the story could move forward.  
Thank you so much emma . ray, I'll never say it enough. You allow the readers to be more comfortable without the misspelling, the literals and the grammar and allow me to perfect my English. Also thank you for the encouragement and for suffering through my doubts.  
(By the way if I make mistakes in the note it's because Emma never gets to read it before chapter is online muahaha.)_

* * *

Where am I ?  
Why am I so cold ?  
Why can't I feel my arm ?

It took me a few minutes to realise where I was. The place seemed to be a cellar and I was chained to a brick wall, my arm stretched up and numb as my body was lying on the cold hard ground. A few bits of straw were scattered here and there but there wasn't enough to keep me warm. I was still wearing the small tunic the merchant gave me, leaving my upper body uncovered. I had no idea what time it was as there were no windows there, and I couldn't hear anything. Good. It will give me time to assess what had happened.

I tried to gather some straw as I sat, massaging my numb arm with my right hand. I knew a bit about the human body, having received a very good education from my Greek father. Blood had stopped flowing, due to the awkward position I had spent the night in. I then rubbed my free hand on my face, trying to swipe away the strange dream I had where I was the involuntary spectator of a women's gladiator slaughter. The strange metallic smell that was reigning in here had probably influenced Morpheus into giving me that strange dream.

I was coming to my senses, memories were starting to come back to me and the pain that came with them was unbearable. Who was she? Who was the young girl I saw at the market? Who was that divine apparition that had stayed as still as marble while my new domina was purchasing me?

I slowly moved my fingertips to my shoulder, tracing the souvenir of the oh-so-brief second I had skimmed her. Remembering the touch of hers, letting my mind wander from her shoulder to her eyes, keeping the fleeting memory alive. But my fate was sealed at the moment.

I had arrived at the DiLaurentis' house the day before, and the odds were not in my favor. Alison, my new domina, had led the way from the market to her house with her three followers as I was walking behind, chained, with Lorenzo the Moorish slave. She didn't even look at me once during the whole journey, as if I was just a bag of wheat, but once we arrived at her place, she turned towards Lorenzo and ordered him to get rid of my chains.

Her domus was magnificent. Everywhere was ornamented with the most exquisite taste. Everything was in its right place, relics, vases, fabrics. Slaves.

A woman that I supposed to be her mother was lying on a chaise longue, vented by a young slave, and didn't even raise an eyebrow as Alison entered the atrium.

"Another one?" she said, jaded.

"I don't mind your business, don't mind mine," Alison answered. "Girls, you can go now."

I was still standing behind, so I was able to see the three girls turn heels as fast as Alison had ordered them to go. If this was how she treated her friends, I feared what being a slave in that house would turn out to be.

"Lorenzo, bring her to my private quarters," she said firmly.

She opened the way, as it seemed to be her way of showing the world she wasn't afraid of anything and that she owned everything from the ground below her feet to whatever she would set her eyes upon.

We arrived in a gigantic pink room, exactly how I had pictured it from the few moments I had watched her. Every single object was a show of power and wealth, every drape was gold woven, every vase was decorated with precious gems.

"Leave us alone," barked the girl.

It was the closest I had been to her since her inspection of me. My head was lowered as a submissive gesture, as slaves should always do. The wrong look, something that could be misinterpreted or even a misplaced wrath from a master and a slave's life could be ended as easily as a bug crushed on the floor. I was still able to look at her, trying to be as careful as possible.

The girl was beautiful and there was something mesmerising about her. As fast as Lorenzo had closed the door and therefore hid Alison and I from the rest of the world, her attitude had changed right away. She was looking at me intensely, as if she was trying to see through me, to know all of my secrets. I felt naked, more than I already was, as her piercing blue eyes were scrutinising me from head to toe. She lay down on a chaise longue, keeping her eyes on me.

"Do you know why you are here?" she asked, breaking the heavy silence.

I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't expecting anything to be honest, but her question fell like a rock on me.

"It's okay, speak freely," she said, her tone half reassuring, half irritated.

"I don't know, domina," I answered. And it was true. I had no idea how to answer, what to answer.

"I bought you because I wanted you. The moment I saw you I felt something, and I wanted you to myself. I couldn't bear to see you as a slave." She paused. "You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen and I-… Come sit by my side."

I was breathless. She seemed so…defenceless, unlike who I thought she was. I was still unsure of what to say, but I had to go closer to her for fear of reprisals.

I moved slowly towards the chaise longue, looking for a place to sit as she was still lying all over it.

"Come here," she said, softly.

She moved a little bit, making me some space to sit next to her hip. I felt really uncomfortable. What did she want? Did she want me to be her bed companion? It wasn't the worst thing that could happen to me. I was sensitive to a woman's touch, having to please some dominus by engaging in sexual entertainment for his guests with a female slave many times before, and it wasn't worse than being passed from man to man as I had been. I had accepted the fact that as a slave, I would never be able to do as I please. To please who I would want to please. I was resigned to do my best to gain Alison's favor to avoid the whip or worse, be sentenced to death before I could settle my eyes upon my Goddess at least one more time.

I sat close to her, putting my hand on her thigh in an attempt to finally understand what she was expecting of me, in a demonstration that she could expect anything from me. That I was docile. At her mercy.

She took my hand and put it slowly on the chaise longue. Her moves were slow, soft, as if I were a fragile animal that she didn't want to scare.

"I want you to tell me you love me," she said, her tone sweet as honey, her hand softly lifting my chin so that our eyes could meet.

It felt like a dagger plunged into my heart. Nobody, no master, no-one from my pre-slave past had ever asked that of me. I was a slave. My body was a slave. And my love which had been free all my life had been a slave too since my eyes settled on my goddess the day before. Of all the men and women I had been passed on to, not one would have broken that sacred feeling and expected my love. The purest feeling, that even the Gods are not able to tame.

"I-…" I whispered.

"Well then, tell me you love me," she said, her tone now hard and invective.

"I can't domina."

Nothing. Nothing but silence. I could see a world of feelings passing in her eyes. Sadness, anger, emptiness, outrage that I had dared not execute her command. And then a glow. A cold glow, like her eyes had changed colour, like the very pits of Tartarus were reflecting in her eyes.

"LORENZO!" she yelled.

The Moorish slave came right away, as if he was standing outside the whole time.

"Throw her in the Room."

"Yes domina."

I looked at her, helpless, trying to defend myself as I was taken away by Lorenzo.

"You will say it. One day you will say it. And you will mean it," she said, her gaze as cold as ice.

Lorenzo led me to a small staircase below ground outside the domus and it's the last thing that I remembered.

I slipped my fingers through my hair and winced. Some strands were stuck together, glued by what was probably blood. I felt a bump. He must have thrown me down the staircase as I was fighting back…

I was trying to analyse what happened. Who was Alison exactly? If that girl had to be a mythical creature she would have been a mermaid - those evil creatures trying to lure poor sailors into their lair by their charms and then eat them alive. It fitted her nicely. She was honey and vinegar. Soft before she announced what she wanted, and bitter and aggressive when I didn't comply. What she asked of me was just too strong, too real. I couldn't, not now that I knew what love was.

I was taken from my reverie by the light that was finally entering the cellar from the hole above, in the corner of the room. It took me quite a while to get used to this soft light, and what I saw froze me instantly.

Blood. Blood everywhere. On the floor. On the walls. On the ceiling even. A huge table was sitting in the middle of the room, adorned by many tools, each one more vicious than the other. My mind shut off. I didn't want to know what the purpose of most of them was. I had suffered the whip and the knife, but I had never laid eyes on such crafted machinery.

Lorenzo appeared on the staircase, walked towards me and unchained me from the wall. My arm fell like dead weight.

"Come with me," he said.

There was nothing in his voice that could have indicated how he felt or what was to come for me.

I followed him slowly, careful not to step in the pools of stagnant blood that were covering the ground. Was it animal blood or…I didn't want to imagine the worst but the purpose of those tools as I passed by them was clearer than what I had started to figure out in the dark - this was a torture chamber.

I was lost. Why didn't she force me to stay here? Wouldn't Alison want to insure that I would obey her? Wouldn't she want to torture me until I break and tell her I loved her? Or did she think that me seeing this would change my mind and make me more co-operative? There was no time to think anymore. We arrived at the domus and Alison's mother was standing in the atrium, talking to a slave. She was a very beautiful woman, very dignified.

"Alison left," she said. You'll obey me during her absence. And be grateful or you would have rotted in that room for days if it was up to her. She wants to be there during your marking so we'll do that when she comes back."

"Yes domina. Thank you domina," I answered, relieved. The mother couldn't be worse than the daughter...

"You're going to start by washing up and then you'll go with Lorenzo and Mindy to the market. I thought the sight of a familiar place would make you feel better as you were there yesterday," she said in a cruel smile.

"Yes domina."

…or could she?

Mindy showed me the way to a big bucket of water outside and gave me a towel and a modest toga. People could judge others' wealth on how their slaves were showing, and I guess this outfit was to show the DiLaurentis family treated their slaves as pig's manure but were still wary about their appearance.

Once I had cleaned, we went on our way towards the market. I hadn't eaten in days and was starving. The smell of fresh fruits and meat roasting on the fire was pure torture and I was starting to feel dizzy. We had to go to several places to pick up a lot of groceries. Mindy told me in confidence that the DiLaurentis' were using Alison's absence to host a feast to find her a suitable husband. She had the reputation of being quite a problem child and they didn't want her to cause a scene.

At the fourth shop, I noticed a slave that we had already crossed several times now. In the street and in two other shops. She was an old woman, around her fifties, and I caught her staring at me a few times. What did she want with me? Hadn't the Fates already been cruel enough? I looked at Lorenzo and Mindy who were talking with a merchant's slave. This was my shot. I walked towards the woman who tried to scuttle away but I managed to catch her arm.

"What do you want with me?" I asked her. I was probably a bit too aggressive as the woman looked at me with fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. My name is Ella. I'm here on behalf of my domina, Paige McCullers," she said.

"I am not for sale anymore. I belong to the DiLaurentis family," I answered. Saying this name scorched my mouth. I belonged to them. I belonged to Alison.

"She knows," answered the woman. "She saw you yesterday at the market before Alison bought you."

Could it be possible? Could she be the Goddess I saw? Could she be…

"She wanted to see you. To see if you were alright. But she was afraid Alison would do you harm if she tried."

Her. It was her. I remembered everything as it had been playing in my mind since the moment was over. The look in her eyes as Alison whispered something to her.

"I…I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. What does she want with me?" I asked her.

"She wants to meet."

It took my breath away. She wanted to meet. But I couldn't, I couldn't risk her being seen with me. A patrician with another patrician's slave without their permission would assure her a blame or worse. I was someone's property, Alison could accuse her of stealing me.

Ella saw right through me. Her motherly face wasn't an easy one to fool. She saw that I wanted to see her. She probably didn't know why or how badly.

"That's impossible," I said, heartbroken. "Not with Alison, her mother, Lorenzo watching me…"

"Fear not child. We will find a way," her tone was reassuring, motherly. I have to go now before they see me."

I was looking at her desperately. She was actually saying that my Goddess wanted to see me. That she wanted to meet. Nothing else mattered.

I leant in to her ear.

"Tell her. Please tell her." I paused to catch my breath so that the fog that was taking over my whole body could dissipate.

"Emily. My name is Emily."


	5. Chapter 5

_Than you so much to my beta-reader emma . ray, Saviour of the English Language, dear friend who works a lot to help me making sense of the stuff in my mind._

* * *

I was looking in the direction of the door every two minutes. Ella should have been back by now and I was starting to worry. What if something had happened to her? What if Alison had seen her around my Goddess? What if Ella was the bearer of bad news and was trying to find a way to tell me?

My parents were absent, as usual, and Ezra had tried to distract me with a reading of Plato but nothing could have soothed me.

The door opened and even if my eyes were already fixed on it, I was startled. I was so focused that everything was a blur. I had to clear my head but instead, I rushed towards Ella who had barely walked into the room.

"Did you see her?" I asked, in total panic.

"Calm down child," she said with her typical soothing voice. "I did. She told me to give you her name. Emily."

Emily. The sweetest melody my ears had ever been able to hear. Emily. Her name ran like water on my lips, falling on my chest and drowning my heart. A name clear as day for the most exquisite raven-haired beauty my eyes had been lucky enough to set upon. But quick, I needed to know more.

"What do you mean she told you to give it to me?"

"I think she saw you too," she answered in a smile. "She agreed to meet you, but it's going to be complicated. She just arrived at the DiLaurentis' so her absence would probably be noticed, but I think I can manage to bribe Lorenzo so that he helps me bring her to a cabin not too far from here."

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. And I was sure my heart had stopped beating. I was overwhelmed with thoughts and questions. Did she really want to see ME? Or was it just a plot from Alison to bring me to my knees? It was obvious the blonde had totally understood what had happened. She recognised the look I gave the young slave and that was why she had bought her. She told me she owned me now, was she going to use my Goddess against me? Or was what Ella had told me genuine? Did Emily really want to be in my presence? Could my feelings not be one-sided? And what if she only wanted to use me to save her from Alison's claws? I would do anything for her, even if my affections weren't returned. Anything.

"When could this happen?" I asked Ella.

"I need a few hours. It has to be tonight when Alison is away," she answered. "And I also need money for Lorenzo and the people living in the cabin I saw. They will lend it for a few sesterces."

"Anything you need," I said. "Ezra, please, go with her."

They left quickly and I was alone with my thoughts.

And now the wait begins.

* * *

Covered by the coat of Nyx, I arrived at the cabin first. It was a very humble house, with only a table and a small bed made of straw, probably the house of a modest dyer. It was clean though, with a floor made of clay and walls of dry dirt, and it was isolated enough so that nobody could be suspicious seeing me or my Goddess arrive. Candles were lit at strategic places, giving the place a charming touch and a smell of flowers. Ella's thoughtfulness, no doubt.

I had no idea of what to expect from the encounter. I was too nervous to think straight, too stressed to see clearly. I could hear my heart pounding in my temples. I was walking around, trying to evacuate all the bad thoughts that were compressing my head when Ella entered the room. She was leading the way to someone wearing a brown cape, face masked under a hood.

"I'll leave you two then," said Ella. "Remember Paige, at first light tomorrow you both ought to be back to your homes."

She left the house as quickly as she arrived, leaving the two of us completely alone.

The creature lifted her arms softly to unveil the most magnificent figure I had ever seen. Her glance was filled by so many different feelings I couldn't even name one. Her eyes were dark as night but even the slight light coming from the candles was able to reflect in them. They were glowing as two precious black pearls that you can only see in the richest houses of Rome. She lowered her head, probably conditioned by years of slavery.

"Don't look away."

It took me all I had to be able to speak. To be reassuring. But I was afraid the apprehension in my voice would have been perceptible even to a two-year-old child. She lifted her head slowly, unsure if I had meant it.

"My name is Paige. Paige McCullers."

"Emily."

Her voice. My Gods, her voice. Softer than the softest of silks. Purer than the purest snowflake. We were looking at each other and I was still incapable of deciphering what I was seeing on her face. As she was probably trying to do with mine. She broke the heavy silence.

"Why am I here ?" she asked.

"I wanted to see you," I answered, maybe a little bit too fast.

"But why?"

How could I answer to that question? How could I give her my heart when I had nothing else to offer her? How could I put this heavy weight on her when I knew nothing about the magnificent woman who was standing in front of me?

"I…I wanted to talk to you. To make sure that Alison hadn't mistreated you. I…know she is a bit challenging. You…you can go if you want to."

I was being careful. It could have been a trap, she could have been here because Alison told her to.

"I want to stay," she said. After a short pause, she spoke again. "I have never met someone as cruel as Alison."

Her voice was but a whisper, as if saying the name of Alison out loud was an offence to the silence itself.

I had to tell her. I had to be sure.

"I don't want you to stay because she ordered you to."

She was now looking at me with a sad and intrigued look. It was the predominant theory I had on why she was here at the moment, nothing else made sense. She was here because Alison wanted to use her against me, because Alison was playing a vicious game and wanted my demise.

"It is not why I stay. And it is not why I came in the first place."

"Why then?"

She slowly walked towards me. Her gait was feline, almost aerial. As if a river Nymph was taking its original form in front of me, she was becoming liquid and I was envious of the floor that was carrying her. I would have kissed the ground in devotion under her feet but I was standing transfixed on the spot, in total contemplation, and I was refraining myself from blinking to not lose her from sight. As if the fact of not seeing her for a mere second would risk making her disappear forever.

She raised her hand towards me, offering to receive mine, and her movement was so delicate that I felt like I was the Empress of Gaïa. My eyes had continued their journey without me noticing, from her eyes to her hand to the ground, and I was now staring at the floor.

"Look at me Paige."

Her voice was soft. It was not a command, not a question. It was almost a supplication. As if the simple fact that I had turned my eyes away from her was hurting her. I couldn't believe it. Was it a tactic from Alison to destroy me definitely? Did the Goddess tell her everything and was she about to barge in at any moment? Did she order her to conquer me, body and soul, to have leverage over me?

"Why then?"

"When Ella came to talk to me I… I knew."

"Knew what?"

Her tone had become trembling, as if she was broken, shattered. I hadn't taken the hand she had offered me and she let it fall limply against her thigh.

"That you too...you…I mean…that there was…"

She lowered her head, a gesture that had the effect of hiding her face in her hair. I couldn't see her eyes but I saw a tear roll off her chin and then die on the clay ground. How I envied this floor to receive such a divine elixir!

I was gobsmacked. Seeing how the majority of Romans were treating their slaves, I couldn't imagine that what she was trying to tell me was real. That she had felt how I had felt since the moment we saw each other. I didn't know anything about her and a voice inside my head was telling me over and over that she was simply trying to improve her situation, that she was forced to do that, to be here, that she only wanted to be nice to me so that I could free her from Alison. And even if the latter was true…I didn't care.

"Maybe I misread something," she said.

Was she offering herself because I was a patrician? I was still mute when she raised her eyes and met mine. Her doubts reflected mine. I was seeing her as completely disoriented, vulnerable, desperate to receive a word from me.

"I should go. It was a terrible idea."

I still hadn't opened my mouth. I was unable to. I was deprived of speech, captivated by her and the questions that were torturing me. She swiped her tear with the back of her hand, her head listless again, and passed by me to leave the cabin. I extended my arm, grabbing hers firmly but softly. She raised her head abruptly, leaving her face only a few centimetres from mine and I stretched my neck to cast a kiss upon her lips.

The Fates had woven my destiny so that I had found myself here, at this moment. So that my lips would meet hers. This instant was mystical. Magical. I would have denied my faith for her, worshipping Emily as the otherworldly creature she was. Her taste was giving new meaning to my mere existence, opening my senses to exceptional, unexplored feelings. I was her, she was me. No more doubts. No more fear. Nothing else than us. We couldn't be more different but nonetheless, us together, we were unique as much as in total fusion.

Our lips parted for what seemed to be an eternity. She caressed my cheek slowly, gathering a tear I hadn't noticed I had shed and she slipped her arm around my neck to tighten my whole body against hers.

She bent her head to my ear: "I knew there was something between us. The second my eyes settled upon you at the shop I-"

"Shhhh," I whispered.

She laughed for a short moment and I felt my legs failing at the sound. Her laugh was clear, frank, the sweetest of music my mortal ears had been able to hear.

She loosened her grip and I found myself breathless. As if every inch of my body was deprived of oxygen, as if my whole being was dying from her absence. She was looking at me tenderly, getting close again, brushing my face from the tip of her nose and she put her lips on mine again. Every kiss, every caress was erasing the pain of her absence. We were two soulmates, and we had the opportunity to finally be one. However, I moved away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried.

"What will happen tomorrow?"

"Don't think about that. There is only now, there is only you and I."

She took my hand tenderly and guided me towards the bed of straw that was lying on the floor itself. We sat, eye to eye, heart to heart. She took my face between her hands gently, kissing me more and more passionately, slipping her left hand in my hair, undoing braids and loops. Her grip tightened on the back of my head and I could feel her desperation to feed from me, as I was being affected by a fire that would burn everything in its path if I let it out. She slid her free hand all along my back, from bottom to top and stopped at the brooch on my shoulder, starting to undo it.

Doubt began to choke me again.

"I…are you…sure?"

"Aren't you?"

I had nothing to answer to that. I had never felt something that strong, as if a herd of wild horses were racing in my chest, and the urgency of the situation – knowing if I ignored it I might never get the chance again - decided for me. I answered to her with a kiss, like a sentence said with the lips to reassure her without uttering a sound. Her hand went back to its course, tracing a delicate path from my cheek to my shoulder. She detached my toga and uncovered my body as she would have unwrapped the most fragile thing on Earth. I shivered under the fabric's touch.

"Are you okay?"

"I am. I truly am. Don't worry."

She stood up and undressed in a single movement. Her cape and her toga fell on the floor in a small flop and I was surprised I was still able to hear. All my senses were numb. She was naked, as Venus in her shell, and she was standing a few feet away from me. I could touch her just by stretching my arm but I was petrified. She was completely offered and I was the one she was making this offering to. Me. Paige McCullers. I was about to lay with a Goddess.

She pushed me slowly onto the bed, straddling me and covering my body with kisses. Her hands were delicately following my sides, caressing me everywhere. I put my hand on her back and froze. I felt numerous scars under my fingertips, signs of the bad treatments she had to suffer, and she noticed my turmoil.

"It's in the past. I am with you now. I am free for the first time in forever."

I arched my back to raise my upper body and kiss her. I was overwhelmed by emotion. I couldn't figure how people could mistreat her to that extent. How could people – beasts - that despicable hurt my Goddess, my aspiration, my inspiration? I slipped my hand through her hair carefully, pressing my face in the hollow of her neck and covering her with kisses.

There was only she and I and the whole world was now quiet, but it also roared a symphony around us, in celebration of the union of our souls as well as our bodies. I had never felt what I was experiencing under her touch, under her caresses, her exploration. I had never been intimate with anyone before that moment, and by discovering Emily I was discovering life, love and ecstasy.

* * *

We were lying next to each other, satiated with one another. I let my fingertips run from her navel to her chin, making her shiver and laugh whenever I hit a sensitive spot. Dawn was starting to colour the sky and with it the worries and the fear were slowly crippling from my stomach to my heart. It was time to go, as the cabin was about to retrieve its inhabitants.

We had decided to meet again at this place tonight to leave Pompeii. I had money, it would be difficult but not impossible to runaway together as she wasn't bearing the DiLaurentis mark yet. Me, from noble appearance, skin as white as milk, travelling with my slave. I had refused thinking about her in that way but she had convinced me with multiple kisses that it was the best solution.

She got out of bed and went to look for her toga on the floor. Her warmth was lingering on the bed and I traced the void she had left with my forefinger, trying to feel her as she wasn't by my side anymore. I couldn't resign myself to letting her go back to Alison and her twisted family.

She looked at me tenderly and smiled. I felt my whole body weaken again, her smile having an unreal power that could have brought me back from the dead. I managed to get out of bed, all strength having left me, and to dress. It was time. We had to leave each on a different way to not raise any suspicion from people we could meet this early.

We kissed passionately, like it was the last thing we would do in our lives.

I couldn't refrain from looking back as she was starting to turn at the corner of the street. She stopped to look at me. Our glances met, willing to be reassuring, to give the other the strength we were both lacking. Speaking without saying anything.

The kind of love words you can only say with the eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you so much to emma . ray, best beta reader of the world, alway available to discuss my crazy ideas and pushing me to go further and to better myself._

* * *

I arrived at the DiLaurentis house safely, but with the heaviest of hearts.

I couldn't believe what had happened last night, and again this morning. Paige and I were one. She wanted me as I wanted her, she felt for me as I felt for her.

I had managed to sneak back into the slaves' room with Lorenzo's help and was sitting on the thing that was supposed to be my bed. Nobody else had noticed I was gone, or so it seemed.

It was as if the only memories I had were the ones I had with Paige. Nothing else existed, I had never lived before last night.

Not even the memory of Alison's secret room could bring me down. And the promise of tonight was enough to make me live through today. I just had to lay low for a few hours and I would be gone before Alison's return.

Leona, the oldest of the slaves at the DiLaurentis', came to find me as soon as the sun had set its course over the house.

"Your chores for the day will be cleaning the impluvium and to cater to some other minor tasks. Domina is going easy on you because you just arrived and Alison is absent but as soon as she's back you're gonna have a hell of a time."

Her tone wasn't threatening, it was more like a warning, as if she already knew what horrendous fate Alison had in store for me.

"Come with me, you have to eat before you start the day."

Breakfast was composed of bread and some dry figs, a delicacy after these days of hunger. I ate it all in just a few minutes, Leona's eyes set upon me with sadness and a bit of hilarity.

She led the way to the empty impluvium, the big basin that was the heart of the house. Romans houses were set this way - parties and orgies took place in the atrium, the biggest room in the house, and the impluvium was filled by rain when the gods were merciful enough to bless us.

The water then was used as anointment, especially during those dry days where water was rare. It hadn't rained in a few weeks and the hope was that a clean impluvium would appease the gods and set them in a mood to bless the town - and most particularly the house of the DiLaurentis.

Leona handed me a big broom made from boar's hair, a bucket of the precious liquid and a large soap. I started to clean as my mind began to runaway to Paige.

My safe place. My Everything.

I never could have guessed that intimacy with someone would feel like this. I had laid with numerous people but I was ordered to. Last night I was free. Free to touch her wherever I liked, free to follow her breath as I moved inside her, free not to hurry for her to finish but to explore every inch of her, free to be over the edge and jump and let go. Safe for the first time. Alive for the first time.

I found that where it wasn't supposed to be - with a patrician. Her status was supposed to make her superior to me, but I was the one in charge – well at first at least – and I was drunk from the power I had over her. Every caress, every whisper in her ear had a proportional reaction over her body and we weren't master and slave, we were masters over each other's heart and soul.

When she had melded with me I was in the safest place on Earth. Her shy but steady hand was the softest of touches and I was shivering just thinking about it. It wasn't mechanical, it wasn't in the search of pleasure that we had explored each other, it was the most delicate and personal way we had found to say what our tongues were too numb to articulate. I couldn't wait to be in her arms again, to feel her eyes on me, her hands over me, to breathe the same air as her.

I absentmindedly bit my lower lip and looked at my surroundings, my mind fleeing to what she could be doing, desperately seeking her presence even if I knew she was out of reach. I was staring at the wall and my eyes caught Leona who reprimanded me by a serious glance. Fuck, I hadn't noticed I had stop scrubbing the impluvium. I tried to focus on the task at hand but I couldn't erase the tiniest smile from my lips.

I was kneeling, cleaning the floor, so I didn't see her come in.

"Well, looks like you are finally useful for something" said Alison's mother.

"Oh Jessica, stop screwing with the slaves. Alison bought that one for herself, don't ruin her before she has the time to have a little fun. Apparently she has big plans for her."

A tall man was by her side, probably Alison's father. Seeing them together, the way they stood, their apparent wealth and their disdainful looks, the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree. What shocked me the most was their knowledge of Alison's twisted games. They were probably lax because Alison was their only child.

"That's what I'm doing!" she said, defensive.

If she was afraid of him, I guess I knew where Alison's sadistic ways were from.

"After that you'll go help clean the kitchen," she said in my direction "Happy Kenneth?"

"Yes. Come on we're going to be late at the Hastings'."

I finished cleaning the impluvium and was feeling dizzy. It wasn't profound, the water probably arrived at knee level when it was full but I didn't want to do it all over again if Leona wasn't satisfied. I was sweating, a bit dehydrated in that dry summer's heat.

"Come on, you're going to clean up a bit before helping in the kitchen. The domini have another feast tonight."

It was perfect. The preparations and the bustle would be an ideal diversion for my escape.

* * *

The rest of the day went smoothly: I helped preparing venison, ducks, partridges and all sorts of breads and dressings.

Everybody was really busy, and I felt fear crawling in my stomach. I was supposed to leave when Lorenzo made a sign in my direction but I couldn't find him anywhere.

Leona wasn't leaving my side, ordering me around - put this here, and this there, bring this to the atrium - and it was like a snake was forming a knot in my throat. I had to be there on time, I didn't want Paige to think I was unable to come or worse, that I had voluntarily abandoned her.

Lorenzo finally appeared, telling Leona she had to prepare Alison's parents' bedchamber for it to be enjoyable later in the evening. He grabbed my forearm when passing by and whispered in my ear.

"Time to go lovebird."

I followed him quickly, benefiting from the shadows and the fuss the house was in. I had nothing to take with me, I didn't own anything except from the feelings I bore in my heart. We arrived near the cabin in a matter of minutes and Lorenzo double backed.

"Good luck," he said in a whisper.

"Thank you. For everything." I answered softly.

"The look in your eyes is enough," he said in a tiny smile. "Farewell Emily. Be happy, far away from Alison."

I waited for him to be out of sight before moving forward and entering the cabin. Paige was already there, bathed in the soft light the candles provided. I had never seen someone as beautiful as she was in that instant. Her eyes were radiating with kindness and love and despite her body being cloaked in a long cape, I was able to trace the curves of her in my mind. It was like coming home, everything about her was familiar yet I needed to explore her to be at peace and leave my mark. Like an old song you once knew by heart, resting on your lips, but you need to listen to it again to have the exact phrasing.

We stared at each other for a moment, unable to speak or to move. She was the first to get closer to me and we hugged so tight I could hear all the pieces of my broken heart gluing back together. We were as one again, and what was awaiting us was a dangerous endeavour but with her I felt as safe as if the Gods were in our presence, protecting us from their holy coat.

"I missed you so much. It was torture to be apart from you," she whispered in my ear.

I could feel her voice breaking, as if she was about to cry.

"We have all the time in the world to be together. We should leave and never look back. There is only us now. You and me Paige, forever."

* * *

 _I had an idea while writing this chapter, so if you want to take Antiquity Paily as only one story, please skip what's below and go directly to "Alternative Ending"._

 _But if you wanna see Antiquity Paily as the Prologue for a new fiction I'm going to write, please trust me and read what's below and not "Alternative Ending"._

* * *

The door opened with a BANG and we took a step back to look at the person who had entered. Ella. What was she doing here?

"I'm so sorry Paige," she said.

"For what?" asked my Goddess.

Ella didn't had the time to answer. Alison, accompanied by four robust men, barged into the cabin.

"SEIZE THEM!" she screamed.

"But you promised you wouldn't hurt Paige!" Ella tried to argue.

"Do you think I have to keep the word I give to a slave?" she barked. "SEIZE THEM NOW!"

Two of the men rushed to my side, the two others to Paige's. I was a fury. I was kicking, biting, clawing whatever came in contact with me. Screaming the name of Paige, the one that was once a name of comfort and was now a cry of despair. We were torn from each other and her eyes had been on me the whole time, allowing Alison to weasel her way behind her and to put a knife to her throat.

"Come with me slave. Or I cut her right here, right now."

I stopped fighting. I stopped living. I was but a dead shell, defeated. I would do anything to protect her. Even lose my life.

"Good. Now you see who's in control," said Alison with a smirk. "Take them outside."

The men grabbed us and we left the comfort of the cabin. Ella was trying to free Paige, arguing with Alison.

"You can't take her. Her family will fight you can't- "

"SILENCE !" barked Alison. "You two. Stop."

Alison was facing Paige, her face a few inches from my love's.

"I told you I owned you. I own her. I can do whatever I want with her and you can't do anything to stop me."

"You are a monster," answered Paige. "You are pure and complete evil. Why can't you just let us be ? What is it to you?!"

"What I want, I get," said Alison. She formed her words in the most delicate way. Her voice was soft, articulate, and she was calm. She knew there was nothing anyone could to do to bring us back together now and she was making sure every word she would pronounce would be anchored into our minds forever.

"I'm going to let you go. It would be worse for you knowing she is mine and that she will never leave my side. Well... for a moment at least. I'll be done with her pretty quickly I guess."

Her tone was now sharp, cutting like a knife. Hurting Paige at her core. My heart was breaking, I couldn't believe minutes ago we were in each other's arms, about to run away from this wretched place, about to leave Pompeii and never go back.

And now everything was lost. My life will end before I could kiss her again, lay with her again, and if that was supposed to be my destiny, if the Fates had decided to give her to me to only tear me away from her, there was no point in living.

"Don't follow us. There is no point in you fighting anymore." She then turned to the guards: "Let her go."

The two men let go of their grip, only for Paige to try to kick the ones that were holding me in order to set me free. Her hand was trying to reach mine, to feel me for the last time when one of the guards struck a blow on the back of her head. I screamed. Or I think I screamed. My whole body was completely numb, I wasn't able to hear or to feel anything anymore. I watched her as her head hit the cobblestone and the light coming from the street allowed me to see blood. The world had stopped. I was feeling myself extending my arm in a desperate way to reach her while screaming her name as the men were taking me away. Away from her. I didn't care about what they could do to me, about what Alison was about to do to me. I just wanted to know if she was alive.

I lost sight of her as we were turning at the corner of the street, as Ella was bent over her head, trying to help her.

—

The sky was falling apart. The Gods were angry at what was happening and we could feel the Earth trying to break loose under us. Even with the night I could see the clouds darkening everything around us. It even seemed like black smoke was invading the streets. A thunderstorm was screaming, as if the world was trying to defeat Alison and to bring me back to the arms of my beloved. It had started to rain but it wasn't the salvation everybody was expecting. It was as if the rain was made of sulphur, every drop was stinking to the touch, and it was so heavy that we couldn't see a meter before us.

We arrived at the house where the party was in full swing. People were chanting around the impluvium, putting their hands in the sky as devotion towards the Gods that had blessed Pompeii with rain. They didn't seem to notice how toxic it was when it was clear to me that it was poison. Alison was gloating, as if the rain was her own doing. Celebrating her victory over me, over Paige, over us. Over love. She was greeted by her parents and some of their guests that had stopped looking at the sky to turn their heads on us.

"So this is her?" said a guest.

"Yes Alison, is that her?" said another one.

"Calm down people," said Alison, as full of herself as usual. "Yes, this is her."

What were they talking about?

"It seemed to have pleased the Gods that I caught her when she was about to disrespect the orders of the world. Even more than I had expected." She made a dramatic pause. "Therefore we shall not wait longer before the sacrifice."

Sacr-

"Bring her by the impluvium."

No. It couldn't be real. Romans didn't do that anymore. Human sacrifices were considered Barbarian, even if slaves were the ones being slaughtered. A slave's life didn't matter but they were never properly called sacrifices, not in front of that many nobles men and women.

The four men were holding me, restraining my arms and legs, and they carried me towards the impluvium, the very same one I had spent the morning cleaning.

"LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME!" I screamed.

My whole body was breaking. I was trying to free myself from their grip, moving, pulling, trying to bite. But nothing. I didn't even free a finger. There was no point but I had to try. For Paige.

The whole house was now silent. Everybody was looking at me but I couldn't see their faces. I wasn't seeing anything. They threw me on the cold ground and made me kneel next to the basin. It would have been pointless to try to run or fight now. I was defeated. I was surrounded, in the middle of a house full of patricians and slaves. I lowered my head, fixing my eyes on the impluvium that was now full of the toxic rain.

Alison's mother then spoke.

"Nick McCullers, would you do us the honour?"

McCullers…was he Paige's father?

"MOTHER!" screamed Alison, outraged.

"Alison, you would do as I please in my house," said Kenneth.

A voice I had never heard before answered

"Gratitude to the House of DiLaurentis. But it's only fair that Alison get the honour as she is the one to have brought this beautiful creature here and pleased the Gods so they would grant us their divine gift. She is truly blessed and we shouldn't insult them by denying her this privilege."

I heard Alison giggling by my side. She had come closer and I could feel her vicious glance all over me.

"Fair enough," said Kenneth with a sigh. "But please come closer to be the witness of another miracle."

The man who I supposed was Paige's father was now standing by my right, as Alison was at my left and the guards were standing a little further behind me. I knew what was going to happen. I fixed my eyes on the water, on the rain that was merging with the liquid filling the basin.

I didn't know if Paige was alive. I didn't know if she had made it, if she was okay. I closed my eyes and went back to my safe place. To her arms. To her kisses. To her caress. I was thinking about her eyes when my face hit the water. Alison's fingers were hooking my hair as she pushed my head under water and I didn't even try to fight. I was picturing my love's smile, the soft way she had traced the shape of my body on the mattress, her eyes glowing in the dark as she looked at me when water entered my lungs and my vision of her started to blur.

 _I love you Paige. We found each other in this life, I will find you in the next._

THE END

* * *

 _Here you go. Okay. It sucks. Everybody is dead. Even Alison as Vesuvio was preparing it's eruption. And even Ella. My original plan was for following chapters to make Paige go to Delphi see the Pythia (it was supposed to be Jenna because hello weird blind girl), get a prediction, then go to Hell like Dante or Orpheus and bring back Emily's soul (and then they'll leave Alison chained in the Room while Vesuvio is erupting and be happy forever YAY)_

 _BUT. Like I said at the middle of the chapter, I had an idea while writing this so if you have decided to stay with me and not hate me too much, see you soon for "Afterlife"._


	7. Alternative Ending

We kissed with passion, leaving the hurtful memories of each others' absence in the past.

She broke the silence.

"I have enough to ensure us passage to Gaulia, I wrote to my friend Sydney she can take us in and give us new identities. Ella will meet us there, she told me she had some unfinished business. I convinced my mother to free her and I promised to help her settle far away from here, it's the least I could do. Then you and I can go wherever we want."

I hold her tight again. My freedom. More than just the feeling of freedom I felt with her, it was about to become a reality. Free to love her, free to hold her, free to kiss her whenever I pleased – and that's what I did again.

"Come on my love," she whispered. "Time to go."

Protected by the gods with a heavy smoke, her hand firmly tight with mine, she lead the way to the back of the cabin where two black horses were waiting for us. She helped me in place – even if I had probably rode a lot more than her, I didn't have the heart to tell her so. She was adorable, giving me the reigns, adjusting the stirrup, fixing my saddle. She then mounted her horse and we left, first walking as we left the city to not raise alarm then galloping as the wind into the hills. We stopped a few hours later to let the horses rest and to look at the sunrise over the sea. We sat on the beach, hand in hand, my head on her shoulder, our eyes turned to the horizon and the promises it held. A long journey was ahead of us, some bribing was going to be necessary but I wasn't afraid. I wasn't scared. I was peaceful. I was free and my love was with me.

"What's wrong ?" she asked.

I hadn't felt the tears rolling from my eyes only to crash on her shoulder.

"Nothing. I...I'm overwhelmed. I am finally free and I have the most beautiful woman by side. Alison is far away and a wonderful life awaits us. Together."

"Together." She whispered as a promise. "Forever."

I rested a kiss on her lips to seal her words.

"I love you Paige."

"I love you too Emily."

* * *

Epilogue

We arrived at Sydney's a few weeks later. The journey hadn't been easy but we were alive and together. It had been hard on Paige since Vesuvio had erupted - she had wanted to go back to Pompeii to see if her family was alive but there wouldn't have been a point, the whole city had been destroyed. And with it Alison DiLaurentis. The task Ella wanted to do before us leaving had been one of great mischief - to ensure we would be safe, she had kidnapped Alison with Lorenzo's and Leona's help and had chained her to the Room. Their point was to leave her there a few days but the gods had decided otherwise. She was dead, but with her everyone who had helped us. Ella had managed to escape the terrible fate that had fell upon the wretched city only to succumb days after her arrival here to a lung sickness. We were resigned to live the most happiest life of all to honour them, and even maybe go back to my country. The world was our nest, we wanted to thrive and enjoy it as much as possible. Together, in love, her hand in mine, and if something might happen that would tear us apart, I know I will find her in another life. Or the next.

THE END


End file.
